


You Took It All (But I'm Still Breathing)

by doctornineandthreequarters



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Amnesia, F/M, Gay Harley Keener, Harley Keener Needs a Hug, Hurt Peter Parker, M/M, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Memory Loss, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Presumed Dead, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23832166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: It had been three weeks, four days, and fifteen minutes since anyone had seen Peter.---When Peter goes missing on patrol, Tony will do whatever it takes to find him. But when he does, will Peter be the same person he was before?
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 223
Collections: The Friendly Neighborhood Exchange





	You Took It All (But I'm Still Breathing)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [impravidus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/impravidus/gifts).



It had been three weeks, four days, and fifteen minutes since anyone had seen Peter. 

Harley was the last one to see him in person. He had come home from a long day at Stark Industries to see that Peter had prepared a romantic dinner for him. Everything had been fine, the two discussing work and Peter’s patrol. 

Then everything changed when Peter pulled out a ring. He was trying to propose, when Harley flat out said no. 

“What do you mean no?” Peter asked, a hurt expression on his face. 

“I don’t want to get married,” Harley said. “Everything’s fine how it is. Why should we change that?”

“Because I love you and marriage is important to me!” 

“Peter, I’m from the south,” Harley explained. “People down there, people from my hometown for Christ sake, aren’t okay with gay marriage. I just...I can’t.”

“You don’t live in the south anymore!” Peter shouted. “You live here, with me. I love you Harley, more than anything. But I just don’t want things to stay as they are. I want to get married.”

“I’m sorry Peter.” Peter’s anger was dissipating, being left with crushing despair. He felt his eyes brim with tears. “Please don’t be upset with me. I love you, this doesn’t change that.”

“Yes it does.” And then Peter had stormed out, leaving Harley with their now cold meal and the ring he had tried to propose to Harley with.

* * *

Tony was the last one to talk to Peter. 

It had been a day after his fight with Harley. Peter had called Tony when he was on patrol. 

“Hey kid.” When he heard a sniffle on the other side of the phone, he knew there was a problem. “Kid, is something wrong?”

“ _ Harley and I got into a fight _ .  _ I proposed, just like I told you I was going to, and he turned me down _ .”

“Oh kiddo.” Tony knew Peter had to be hurting. He saw how Peter looked at Harley; Peter was head over heels for Harley. He couldn’t imagine the pain he was going through. “How about you come stay at the cabin for a few days? I’m sure that would help and Morgan’s been complaining that she missed you.”

“ _ I’m okay _ ,” Peter said, followed by a sniff. “ _ I just need some time to process this _ .”

“Well I’m here if you need me,” Tony reminded him. 

“ _ Thanks Mister Stark _ .” And then the call ended. If Tony had known that was going to be his last chance to talk to Peter, he would’ve said so much more, or just remind the kid how much he loved him.

* * *

Two days after Peter and Harley’s fight, Harley had had enough of waiting. Peter hadn’t come home since his fight. The first night, he understood; his turning down of Peter’s proposal had been more harsh then he had meant and he just wanted to explain. But after the second day, Harley was just frustrated. 

So, he called Tony. If Peter was going to hide anywhere in an attempt to avoid him, Tony’s lake cabin was probably the place he would go. 

“Alright mechanic,” Harley said as soon as Tony answered. “I’d like my boyfriend back now.”

“Easy there hot shot,” Tony said. “What are you talking about?”

“Look Peter and I got into a fight two days ago,” Harley began. “And I haven’t seen him since. But you probably already know that so just please, tell him to come home.”

“Harley.” Tony’s voice was dangerously quiet. “Peter’s not here. He called me yesterday, but I haven’t seen him.”

And that’s when they realized something was wrong.

They of course began calling everyone close to Peter (Harley calling Ned and MJ, Tony calling Happy and May). No one had seen or heard from Peter. And when Tony checked the Baby Monitor footage on Peter’s suit and the footage cut out a few hours after his phone call with Peter, they knew Peter was in trouble. 

* * *

Everyone wanted Tony to give up. Three weeks after Peter disappeared, everyone else had made the horrific assumption that they weren’t getting him back. That he was gone. 

But Tony had lost the kid once. He wasn’t losing him again. 

“Tony?” He looked up from his work, surprised to see May there. Her eyes were red and rimmed with tears. He felt his chest grow tight. Everyone had been trying to convince him to stop; Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, even Harley. They all believed the reports that Peter was gone. But May being here, May accepting that fact, well that made Tony’s chest ache with a pain he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“You’re probably here to tell me to let it go,” Tony grumbled, staring at the screens in front of him. “That Peter’s gone and I have to come to terms with that.”

“No.” He turned as May approached. “I don’t care what anyone says. He’s still out there Tony. I know that and you know that.” He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “You can’t give up. Promise me you won’t give up.”

“I promise.” May hugged him, sobs bubbling out as she did. Tony felt tears running down his face, an all too common occurrence since Peter had disappeared. When May pulled away, she looked directly into his eyes.

“Find our boy Tony. Find him and bring him home.”

* * *

Three weeks, four days, and fifteen minutes after someone last saw Peter, they finally found him. Tony had located coordinates of Peter’s suit (after weeks of trying to find it) and begged Sam and Bucky to go check it out. 

And then Tony got the call. 

“ _ We found him _ .” 

Tony immediately called everyone, to let them know that Peter had been located and was being brought to the Compound. May had screamed in joy and then dropped the phone (which Happy had relayed to Tony). Harley had been strangely quiet over the phone, but Tony assumed that had to do with how upset he had been that his last conversation with Peter had been a fight. Tony was relieved and nearly sped the whole way to the Compound. 

He was stopped by Sam before he could see Peter. 

“He wasn’t in great condition when we found him,” Sam warned him. “It was bad Tony. Bruce did what he could, but he hasn’t woken up yet.” Tony just gulped, fighting away the feeling of his chest tightening up. He didn’t care how bad it was going to be, he needed to see Peter. He needed to see his kid. 

He nearly gasped when he finally saw Peter. 

One of his legs was in a cast. There were marks on his other leg, like bruises that hadn’t healed properly. One of his eyes had a black-eye, more severe than Tony had even seen. And the kid was so thin. He looked so small in the hospital bed that it almost hurt Tony to see him. But he had to. He had to let Peter know that he was there and he was safe. 

“Hey kid,” Tony said, approaching the bed. “I’m sure if you were awake, the first thing you would remind me is that you’re not a kid anymore. But old habits die hard, right?” Tony let out a pained sighed, trying to continue. “I don’t know what you’ve been through Pete, but you’re safe now. You’re safe and we’re all going to make sure you stay that way. But, I just need you to wake up kiddo. I just need to wake up so I can tell May you’re okay and so that I can see for myself. So please, Peter, please wake up.”

He didn’t expect Peter to actually wake up. But he let out a groan as his eyes slowly opened. 

“Kid?”

“Where am I?” Peter rasped out, his eyes barely open. Tony let out a sigh and smiled. 

“You’re at the Compound, kiddo,” Tony began. “In the medbay. You’ve had a wild couple of weeks, that I’d love for you to fill me in on.”

“Compound?” Peter asked, looking around. When his eyes landed on Tony’s, it wasn’t a look of relief or the shining look of happiness he’d grown to know in the kid. Instead, it was just confusion. “What Compound?”

A horrible thought crossed Tony’s mind as he watched Peter look around the room with such a perplexed expression. 

“Kid.” Peter turned to look at him. “Do you know who I am?” Peter just stared at him, that same look on confusion and Tony felt his heart sink.

* * *

It was worse than Tony had originally thought. 

“He has damage to his frontal lobe.” He and Bruce were standing in his workshop in the Compound, staring at x-rays of Peter’s brain. “That’s what’s impacting his memory. We obviously won’t be able to know what really caused it because Peter was the only one there that we could talk to.”

“Bruce,” Tony began, counting him off. “Is this permanent?”

“I don’t know Tony.” Tony pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fight the overwhelming sadness building up in him. “I’ve never seen damage like this. But Peter’s enhanced.” He felt Bruce gently pat his arm. “I wish I had more answers for you, Tony.”

“It’s okay Bruce,” Tony said. He sighed and looked at his friend. “I’m going to check on the kid. He’s probably freaking out being in a place he doesn’t know.” Bruce nodded and then Tony headed towards the medbay. He paused just outside of where Peter was. When he looked at Peter from afar, he could pretend everything was fine. Peter was picking at the food in front of him, wincing a little from his black eye. 

But everything wasn’t fine. So, with a sigh, Tony walked in. 

“Hey.” Peter looked up from his food. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions.” 

“Yeah,” Peter said. “I don’t really remember much, but I know this isn’t a normal hospital.”

“It’s not,” Tony said. “It’s the medbay in the Avengers Compound.” Peter tilted his head at that. “And your memory is compromised from an injury to your frontal lobe.”

“Is it permanent?”

“Still being determined,” Tony said. “We’re hoping you might remember something, even a little something.”

“I mean,” Peter started, Tony feeling hopeful. “I feel like I should trust you and that you feel familiar to me, but I can’t figure out why.” Tony sighed to himself and nodded. 

“We’ll figure this out,” Tony said. “But for now, just rest up. And eat some of that food. It’s not as bad as it looks.” Tony turned to leave, when Peter stopped me. 

“I don’t know my name.” Tony squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will away the tears. He sucked in a breath and turned to face Peter. 

“It’s Peter. Peter Parker.” Peter just nodded. “And I’m Tony.” Peter wrinkled his nose at that, which Tony found odd. “Now get some rest.” Peter nodded and Tony left the room. When he was far enough away, he felt a tear drip down his face. Peter didn’t remember anything and Bruce couldn’t tell him if this was permanent or not. All he wanted was his kid back. How could the universe give him Peter back, but not the Peter he knew? He sighed and swiped the tears away. 

He wasn’t going to give up. Until Bruce could figure out whether it was permanent, he was going to try and help Peter. 

* * *

“Tony, I don’t know if this is a good idea.” May was standing outside of Peter’s room with Tony and Happy, playing with the wedding ring on her finger. “If he doesn’t remember, how will this help?”

“Bruce hasn’t figured out how severe this is,” Tony began. “And maybe, just maybe, seeing familiar faces will help him.” May sighed and Happy placed a tender hand on her shoulder. 

“It’s worth a shot.” She looked at him, before nodding. 

“Okay.” The three of them walked in, Peter looking up at them as soon as they entered. 

“Hey,” Tony said. “I brought some people.” He nodded towards May and Happy. “Thought maybe they might trigger something?”

“Worth a shot,” Peter said with a shrug. May tentatively approached the bed. Peter stared at her, feeling like he should know her. She gave off a maternal energy that made him want to ask for a hug. 

“Hi sweetie,” May started, falling into old habits. “I’m May. I’m your aunt.”

“Something about you makes me want a hug,” Peter said and May chuckled at that. 

“Well I would hope so,” May said. “I did raise you.” Peter tilted his head at that. “Yeah, um, your parents passed away when you were really little and your Uncle Ben and I took you in.” Peter glanced at Happy. May followed his eyes and sighed. “Ben died when you were in high school.”

“I’ve lost a lot of people.” May chuckled sadly, wanting to reach out and run her hands through his hair or hug him. But she kept her hands at her side. 

“You haven’t had the easiest life,” May admitted. “But you’re one of the strongest people I know. And you introduced me to Happy.” May nodded to Happy, who gave Peter a curt nod. 

“How?” Peter asked. 

“He worked for Tony,” May said. “And you were interning for Tony. So, a connection was bound to happen.”

“I interned for him?” Peter asked, confusion in his voice. “But I thought…” His voice trailed off as he looked over at Tony. He was confused. Tony had been there when he had woken up. He had thought...well that just seemed silly now. “Never mind.” 

Tony watched Peter carefully, wondering what he had meant. But he figured he could ask later. 

“Did this help?” May asked gently.

“Everything still feels cloudy,” Peter said. “But I like talking to you.” May smiled at that. “Do you think you could tell me more?”

“Of course sweetie.”

* * *

Tony walked towards Peter’s room. May had sat with Peter, telling him whatever he wanted to know. Tony had ducked out, needing to call and check in with Pepper and Morgan. He also was trying to convince Harley to come visit, but Harley was hesitant. As he reached the room, he saw May exiting. 

“Any change?” Tony asked and May shook her head. 

“He’s still Peter,” May said, glancing into the room. Peter was staring out the window, an unreadable expression on his face. “He might not remember me, but he’s the same boy I raised.”

“Bruce is going to figure this out,” Tony said. May nodded and sighed. 

“You should go talk to him,” May said, a small smile on her face. “I think he wants to talk to you.” She then turned and headed down the hallway. Tony sighed before entering the room. Peter looked towards the door. 

“Hey,” Tony said. Peter watched him, an odd look on his face. “Everything okay?”

“When I woke up,” Peter began. “And you were the one sitting here and calling me kid, I just...I assumed you were...related to me. But then May started talking and I was confused because she said I had interned for you, which didn’t make sense.”

“What do you mean?” Tony asked as he approached the bed. 

“I know I can’t remember anything,” Peter said. “But certain things feel familiar. When May came in, I wanted her to hug me even though I didn’t know who she was. And when I woke up and you were the one here, that just felt like that was the right thing.”

“Listen I’m a genius,” Tony started. “But I’m not quite sure you’re saying.”

“I can tell you’re important to me,” Peter said. “But I can’t figure out why. May’s my aunt, Happy’s her husband, but I still… I don’t know how to explain it.” Tony smiled a little and sat down. 

“Yeah I don’t either, kid.”

“I thought I was in my twenties.”

“You are,” Tony said with a small smile. “It’s an old habit. I met you when you were fourteen. I was always a big fan of nicknames and kid just kind of stuck for you.” Peter smiled a little at that. “It would be a super long conversation but many years ago, I was a total mess. And then I started to get my act together and then some things happened...like I said, long story. But, when I met you, I wanted to mentor you because you were an incredibly smart kid, still are by the way.” Peter nodded at that. “But the more time I spent with you, the more I realized that I needed you around just as much as you needed me.”

“Family's more than blood,” Peter said and Tony nodded. 

“That it most certainly is,” Tony said. “I mean, my daughter does refer to you as her older brother.” Peter smiled a little at that. “I can bring her by, if you want.”

“I’d like that.” Tony smiled. “I don’t know what’s going to happen or if my memory’s going to come back. But this life that I supposedly lived, I really like hearing about it.”

“It’s been a pretty incredible life.” And Tony just smiled at Peter, hoping that the more they talked, the more they could jostle his memory.

* * *

“You can’t put this off anymore.” Harley was standing in Tony’s workshop, arms crossed, staring down at his feet. “You need to go see him. May and Happy have. Morgan and Pepper have. Heck, even Barnes and Sam talked to him.”

“It’s different for me.” Harley’s voice was quiet, quieter than Tony had ever heard. 

“Harley.”

“Tony, no,” Harley said, finally looking up. “We had a fight before he disappeared. If he even vaguely remembers me it’s going to be because he hates me.” 

“Harley,” Tony said gently, approaching Harley. He placed his hand on Harley’s shoulder. “Peter could never hate you.” Harley just sniffed, willing the tears to not fall. Tony sighed. “Just think about it, okay?” Harley nodded and then left the workshop. 

The truth was he really wanted to see Peter. He missed him. He had been miserable since Peter had run out of their apartment the night of their fight. He felt empty without Peter. And maybe going to see him wouldn’t fix that, but maybe it would help. 

Without even realizing it, his feet had carried him towards the medbay and the room Peter was in. Peter was lying in the bed, reading a book. Harley had only heard about the condition Peter had been in when he was brought in, but it was clear he was healing. Just seeing him made Harley’s heart hurt. He wondered if he had made a noise or if Peter had sensed someone was there because Peter looked up from his book. When he made eye contact with Harley, Harley sighed before walking in. 

“Hi,” Harley said, staying at the door. Peter stared at him for a second, not saying anything. Harley just stared at his feet, not ready to fully make eye contact with Peter. 

“You’re Harley.” He looked up at Peter, immediately regretting it. God, he loved those brown eyes of Peter’s. “Morgan told me about you.” 

“Oh.” The room fell silent again. “What did she tell you?”

“That you’re important to me, wouldn’t tell me why though.” Harley squeezed his eyes shut. Leave it to Morgan to make this harder. Then again, Morgan didn’t know about their fight. Only Tony and May knew about it. “Are you mad at me?”

“You should be mad at me,” Harley said looking at Peter. 

“Why’s that?” Harley sighed. “Hearing about all of this, I think it’s helping a little. So please, talk to me.” Harley stuffed his hand in his pockets and slowly moved towards the bed. 

“We had a fight the last time we saw each other.” Peter tilted his head, watching Harley. Harley could barely look at him, feeling like he was going to fall apart. 

“About what?”

“You asked me to marry you and I said no.” Peter nodded, his lips pursed. 

“So, we’re dating?”

“Does that surprise you?” Peter just shrugged and Harley felt his lips tug into a smile. Peter didn’t have his memory and yet he was still his dorky, perfect boyfriend. And god, he loved him so much.

“So, why’d you say no?” Harley sucked in a breath, not expecting him to ask that. “I’m assuming that was what our fight was about.” Harley nodded. “So, why’d you turn me down?” Harley felt tears forming at his eyes. He’d been asking that question since Peter stormed out of their apartment. He’d been regretting his words since Peter disappeared. And now, staring at his boyfriend who didn’t even remember him, Harley felt so alone and so full of regret. “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. We don’t have to…”

“I have to go.” And then Harley tore out of the room. He could feel the tears streaming down his face. It was too hard, talking to someone who looked like Peter but remembered nothing of what they had been through.

It just hurt too bad. 

* * *

Tony, May and Bruce were standing in Tony’s workshop. Bruce had x-rays of Peter’s brain up in front of them. 

“I don’t understand,” May said.

“He’s healed,” Bruce said. “In every conceivable way.”

“So, why hasn’t his memory come back?” Bruce sighed. Tony looked at his friend, a scared look on his face. “Bruce, talk to me, please.”

“I don’t know Tony,” Bruce said, regret in his voice. “He’s perfectly healthy. No bruises, no breaks, no sprains, and no brain injuries.”

“And yet his memory is still gone.”

“I don’t know what to tell you Tony,” Bruce said. “Clearly, whatever trauma he went through is keeping him from remembering.” May wrapped her arms around her waist, trying not to cry. “I wish I could help more.” He stepped out of the workshop as May covered her mouth, trying not to break down. 

Tony stood there feeling numb. He didn’t know what to do anymore. Nothing had worked. Peter was healthy and acting as he normally would, but he didn’t recognize any of them past the conversations he had had with them over the last few weeks. 

“W-we can’t give up,” Tony managed to get out. May looked at him, tears still running down her face. “We can’t. I promised you I’d get him back.” May went to say something when they heard a knock at the door. They both turned, May wiping her eyes, to see Peter standing there. He had been moving around the Compound more and more each day. Tony looked at May and she nodded. 

“FRI, unlock the door.” The door clicked and Peter pushed it open. “Hey kid.”

“I’m not interrupting, am I?”

“Of course not sweetie,” May said. 

“I saw Dr. Banner walking down the hallway,” Peter said. “Were you guys talking about me?” Tony glanced at May who sighed. “So, you were talking about me.”

“Yeah, we were,” Tony said with a sigh. “Bruce was just reporting on your health.” Peter nodded as he walked around the workshop. “You’re completely healed. No breaks, no bruises, nothing. But your memory is still...incomplete.” Peter didn’t respond. Tony turned to look at him and saw he was standing at his desk. “Peter?”

“Oh, um...sorry.” Tony walked over to Peter, noticing he was staring at something. 

“Everything okay?”

“It’s just uh,” Tony noticed Peter was a little disoriented. “This picture.” Tony looked to where he was staring. It was a picture of the two of them, from when Peter was still in high school. They had been working in the lab, when Pepper had come in. Neither Peter nor Tony noticed her, so she snapped a quick photo before she finally spoke up. Tony smiled before looking at Peter. His brows were furrowed like he was trying so hard to concentrate on something. 

He then looked at Tony, a sad look on his face. 

“I thought,” Peter started, his voice a little wobbly. “I almost...never mind.” Then he quickly left the room. Tony watched him go, his eyes wide. He looked at May, wondering if his shocked expression matched hers. He looked back at the picture before he spoke. 

“I have an idea.”

* * *

“And this is the time we made a snow fort in the yard.” Morgan was sitting on Peter’s bed, pointing at pictures in front of him. After the look on Peter’s face over the picture in his workshop, Tony started to realize that maybe pictures of Peter’s past could help him.

Tony looked around at the group of people he had called to help with this idea. May was standing on the other side of Peter’s bed, smiling, and Happy was standing next to her. Pepper was next to Morgan, keeping an eye on their pre-teen daughter. And Tony was standing at the foot of the bed, with Harley (who he basically had to drag there). Everyone had brought photo albums, hoping something could spark Peter’s memory. 

“That’s a pretty impressive fort,” Peter said, a smile on his face. 

“Dad said we were showing off,” Morgan said. “I think it’s the best fort we’ve ever built.”

“Certainly didn’t destroy my living room,” Pepper said, brushing some of Morgan’s hair off her face. 

“Ah yes, the great pillow fort debacle,” May said with a slight smirk. “I’ve only heard stories of that destruction.”

“It was a nightmare to clean up,” Tony said. “I didn’t even know we had that many pillows.”

“Well someone snuck into our room to grab all of our pillows,” Pepper said, giving her daughter a look. Morgan smirked mischievously and shrugged. Harley looked at Peter, still uncomfortable after their last conversation. But because he was being silent, he was able to really watch Peter. While everyone was smiling and reminiscing, Peter just looked lost. He kept looking at the pictures and then at the people around him, as if trying his hardest to remember. 

And Harley could see it wasn’t working. He wasn’t remembering. And it was written all over his fact that this fact was breaking his heart. 

“Tony,” Harley whispered, getting the genius’ attention. Tony looked at Harley, who nodded at Peter.

“Peter?” Tony asked, noticing the look on Peter’s face. Peter looked at Tony and Tony noticed there were tears forming in his eyes. “I think that’s enough for the day.” May noticing the look on Peter’s face, nodded and left the room with Happy and Harley. 

“We’ll leave the photo album,” Pepper said, ushering Morgan off the bed. Morgan waved to Peter before leaving with Pepper. Once everyone was gone, Tony walked over to the side of Peter’s bed. 

“Are you okay?”

“No!” Tony was a little startled by Peter’s response. Peter huffed and buried his head in his hands. Tony sat down next to him. “I want to remember. I want to remember all of you so bad and I just can’t.”

“It’s okay.”

“No it’s not!” Peter looked up at Tony and he could see that Peter was crying. “You’re all trying so hard to help me and I just feel so useless and terrible for not being able to remember.”

“Kid, we’re not upset with you about this,” Tony said. “We just want to help you in any way we can.”

“I just don’t want to keep hurting all of you.” Tony wanted to reach out and comfort Peter. But that felt wrong. “I think I just need to be alone.” Tony nodded and stood up. He reached for the photo album on Peter’s lap, assuming Peter would want it gone. But Peter placed a hand on the album. 

“You can leave it here.” Tony nodded and offered Peter a smile before leaving. Peter sighed, wiping the tears away. All of these people clearly cared about them. And all he wanted was to remember them. He slowly flipped through the photo album, trying to convince his brain to recognize these moments. And the more pages he flipped through, the less he remembered. 

With a shout, he hurled the photo album across the room. He covered his face, a sob bubbling up in his throat. Why wouldn’t his brain just remember? These people loved him and he wanted to love them back, as the person they remembered. He lifted his head up and looked at the photo album he had tossed away. He got out of the bed, feeling terrible for throwing it so harshly. 

As he picked it up, his eyes fell on one of the photos on the page. 

It looked like it was from May and Happy’s wedding, as May was wearing a white dress. It was a simple white sundress. Happy was next to her, dressed in a suit, as he always seemed to do. Tony was standing next to Happy, a wide grin on his face. Pepper was next to him, her arm wrapped around his. Peter noticed that he was standing next to May, a happy smile on his face. Harley was next to him, holding tightly onto his hand and grinning cheekily. And then there was Morgan, standing in front of Peter, refusing to smile. 

And then it hit him. 

The photo album dropped from his hand as he took off running. 

* * *

Everyone was sitting in the Common Room of the Compound, a sad silence among them. May was staring at a cup of tea Pepper had made for her, unable to drink it. Happy was next to her, just rubbing comforting circles on her back. Pepper was standing by the kitchen island, not sure what to say. Morgan was sitting at the island, resting her face in hands, a large pout on the pre-teen’s face. Harley was next to her, playing with the item in his pocket. He had been holding onto it since Peter had disappeared, trying not to blame himself for what happened to Peter. And Tony was observing them all, feeling like he had run out of ideas. He didn’t know if there was anything else he could do at this point. 

And then Peter came running into the room. 

“Kid?” Tony asked, noticing the wide-eyed look on Peter’s face. “What’s…” But Peter cut him off. 

“Morgan had lost a front tooth.” Everyone stared, confused what he was talking about. “We were in the lab working and Morgan was doing homework. She kept wiggling her tooth because it was loose and Mister Stark, you kept telling her it would come out on its own and to not act like me, which I totally took offense to. And then her tooth came out and she was horrified because she was missing her front tooth and she refused to smile in any of the photos from May and Happy’s wedding.”

“Kid,” Tony said, staring wide-eyed at Peter. 

“Sweetie,” May said approaching Peter. “Do you...do you remember us?”

“I larb you May.” May let out a sob before hugging Peter tightly. Peter hugged her back, a smile on his face. When he pulled away, Happy clapped his hand on Peter’s shoulder. 

“Glad to have you back kiddo,” Happy said with a smile. Peter nodded as they stepped away. He turned towards where Morgan was sitting, only to have the pre-teen nearly tackle him in a hug. 

“I missed my brother,” Morgan said, hugging him tightly. 

“Thanks Mo.” He chuckled when he realized she wasn’t letting him go. He adored Morgan, even when she was clingy. But he could see Harley staring at him, his eyes red and filled with tears. Pepper must’ve noticed too, as she peeled Morgan off of Peter. Pepper smiled at Peter before ushering Morgan away. Harley slowly approached, his hand still buried in his pocket. 

“Hi,” Harley said, barely looking at Peter. 

“I’m sorry.” Harley looked up at Peter, shocked at his statement. “I shouldn’t have run out.”

“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” Harley said. “You put your heart on the line and I stomped all over it.”

“Harley.”

“No, let me finish.” Peter just nodded. “You proposed to me and I said no because I was scared. I was scared it would screw our relationship up, like it did to my parents. I was scared we would lose each other. And then I did lose you and I realized I was wrong. I don’t want things to stay as they are. I want to spend the rest of my life with you because I love you.” Peter’s eyes were tearing up as Harley spoke. Harley finally pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding up the ring Peter had proposed to him with. 

“Are you saying…”

“If your proposal is still on the table, I’d like to say yes.” Peter just closed the distance between him and Harley, kissing him. “Is that a yes?”

“That’s a yes.” Harley smiled and pulled away, handing Peter the ring. Peter slid it onto his finger before kissing him again. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Harley said. “Hey, we’re engaged!” May let out a shriek as Morgan started jumping up and down. Harley chuckled and headed towards the others. 

“Big day huh?” Peter turned towards Tony, who had moved to stand next to him. Peter just nodded and Tony chuckled. “God, I missed you kid.” Tony pulled Peter into a hug, Peter melting into the genius’s embrace. 

“It’s really good to be back.” Tony smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head. “Now, let’s go celebrate my engagement.”

“You know I’m paying for the whole wedding right?”

“I have long since learned to stop arguing with you on things like that.” Tony laughed and hugged Peter again. “Love you Mister Stark.”

“Love you too kiddo.” And as they headed towards the others, Peter smiled, grateful that he was able to remember his family, that he was able to come back to all of the people he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me on my tumblr? https://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com/


End file.
